ONE FC signs longtime UFC veteran Brandon Vera

After 16 fights in the UFC over a stretch of nearly nine years, Brandon Vera has a new fighting home.

The veteran light heavyweight has signed with ONE FC, Asia’s largest MMA promotion. ONE FC announced the news of Vera’s signing on Twitter early Sunday.

There was no word yet on when “The Truth” will make his ONE FC debut, though it remains possible he could find his way onto the promotion’s next card, ONE FC 19, which takes place Aug. 29 in Dubai.

Vera was released by the UFC in June on a 1-4 skid, not including one no-contest. (That fight was a loss to Thiago Silva that was overturned when Silva failed a post-fight drug test.)

After a modest three wins in four fights between 2008-2009, Vera lost to Randy Couture at UFC 105, was stopped with a first-round TKO by Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 1, then had the no-contest with Silva eight months later.

He rebounded in October 2011 with a decision win over Eliot Marshall at UFC 137, but then he was topped in the fourth round by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua of their UFC on FOX 4 main event in August 2012, and was stopped in the third round by Ben Rothwell at UFC 164 this past August.

Vera entered the UFC in 2005 and quickly emerged as one of the organization’s most promising prospects.

During a 4-0 start to his UFC career, which included a 69-second destruction of ex-champ Frank Mir, Vera boldly claimed he would hold titles in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. With the bravado and those four stoppage victories, which included three in the first round, he was a breath of fresh air in a sputtering heavyweight division that lacked marketable stars.

However, a yearlong contract dispute ultimately spoiled plans for a title shot, and after subsequent losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum, he never got his shot at the belt and ultimately dropped to light heavyweight.

After the 3-1 swing back, he hit his current skid to close out his UFC career. Now he’ll look to rebound with ONE FC.

For more on the ONE FC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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